readiness for Cactus to Tram

[mark2812]

I am planning to hike from the museum to the tram on Fri May 16th. I want to make sure I am ready for my dream hike, "cactus to Tram"Two years ago I made it to 4000k and had to turn around b/c of quad cramps. This time around, I have put a lot of time into preparation. This is what I have done in preparation. Two weeks ago I did the Mt Baldy bear canyon trail to the summit from Baldy village, (up in 7 hrs) approx 6k elevation gain. Afterwards I was tired but not exhausted. I had tired, twitchy legs for 2-3 days, No cramps. Yesterday I did the Manker Flat trail to the summit of Baldy WITHOUT STOPPING in just over 3 hrs. Slow and steady. Afterwards, my legs were tired and twitchy, no cramps. I also carried just about the same load of water I would need for Cactus to Tram. Over the course of the last 12 mos., I have done 10 summits of Baldy via Manker flats, including winter climbs, most of the time taking breaks along the way. I often get twitchy muscles and sometimes quad cramps, but not in my last 4 summits of Baldy. I read the posts on this site regularly and take the words of caution seriously. This Friday is the big day and I feel ready!!! Any comments on Mt Baldy, ie Bear Canyon as it relates to cactus to tram???? I plan to leave museum btwn 3-4am. Anyone else planning to go up on Friday May 16th? I will be with two other hikers.

[drndr]

I do The Manker flat trail in just under 3 hours and Skyline in 6.5 to 7. Don't rush yourself in the beginning. The last 1500 ft are rough. You'll be doubling your uphill climb time compared to Manker at the very least. Hope someone in your group has been up before. Good Luck

[mark2812]

drndr, thanks for the reply. We are leaving early to give ourselves the whole day to get to the tram. No one in our group has been up the trail before. We plan to use the GPS waypoints posted on this site. With the snow melted towards the top, is it still difficult to follow the trail? I have read on this site that the last 2000 ft can be hard to follow in the snow, still the case without snow?

[guest]

Hi Mark,

Sounds like you've done much of the "homework", steep trail, altitude & good elevation gain.

One of you biggest concerns Friday will be Heat!! Although you'll start early, which will help a bunch, this trail, as others on this board have discussed, beats on you almost the whole way. I've dome it 6 wks in a row, and today I felt it, and I live & train in the desert.

I highly recommend you start with no less than a 140 ozs, with a portion containing electrolyte drink (this will help a lot with cramps & shaky legs).
Were a good, ventilated hat, always stop in the shade if at all possible, but keep moving as much as practical, it only gets hotter, even at 7k.

Pay attention in the trees, you can follow the trail if you stop & look.
As your traversing, there are a few ducks (cairns) at the shutes (several rocky, steep drainages).
Have a great hike!

ss

[James]

Mark2812,

I'm going this Friday, May 16th as well. However, due to heat concerns, I plan to leave sometime between 1am and 3am. I will be driving in from a distance so not sure what time exactly. However, if your group (and any others out there also hiking this Friday) want to try to coordinate a start time that sounds great. Having climbed Whitney at night many times, there is always something fun about climbing by headlamp!

I have not done C2C either but have learned a lot from all the great posters on this site.

Other than heat, I think another concern is route finding. Side tracks here and there can be confusing. Other than the traverse sections higher up, if anyone knows of obvious areas where there might be "false trails" leading off into nowhere, please let me and the other first timers know.

Hope to see you (and any others) out there on Friday. Good luck!

James

[pdforeme]

(we're going on Sunday).... Help me on the heat thing....i can't figure how you say its so hot...if

60 at 6am, and you ascend and lose about 2.5 degrees per 1000 feet...and then the high at 8500 is 55...
...feels like the temp you start with, as long as you move decently, is your daytime max...?

[AlanK]

(we're going on Sunday).... Help me on the heat thing....i can't figure how you say its so hot...if
60 at 6am, and you ascend and lose about 2.5 degrees per 1000 feet...and then the high at 8500 is 55...
...feels like the temp you start with, as long as you move decently, is your daytime max...?

I hike to the tram in around 4 or 4.5 hours. We usually leave at 4:30 - 5:30 AM. In late May, we have sometimes experienced 80 degrees at 4:30 and had it get to over 90 at whatever altitude we reached after sunrise. That's pretty hot. At this time of year, it can certainly be well over 55 degrees at the tram -- certainly in the 70s.

[pdforeme]

thanks...(and i'm actually trying to prove to my hiking partner that its too hot to start at 6...but...)

today , 12 at tram its 53 (see this link, might be text [url=http://www.anythingweather.com/current.aspx?id=194]
while at bottom (airport) its 75. And tram site suggests daily high of 55, while valley will hit 92 or so.

i watch it daily and in last 2 weeks have not seen any tram station temps above 55....and lows in the valley about 55 to 60....

my hunch is climbing by 5 in today's temps gets you up into max temps of high 70s...not any worse...[/url]

[tinaballina]

The people that have posted replys to you know their shit, this is certain. The hottest day of the week looks like it will be Friday and Saturday:
http://www.pe.com/weather/

[Marknhj]

FWIW here's what I consumed during my first time up two weeks ago. I'd been reading these boards for months, especially the advice given on fluids and Ellen's nutrition posts. I had got pretty fit and had been to 5000' and back three times prior:

Four liters of a 50/50 mix of gatorade/water; 4 gels, 2 shots (not whiskey, the solid form of gels like gummy bears), three moist energy bars and a sandwich at Flat Rock. Prior to departure I had two cups of coffee (sorry FIGHT ON), a banana, yogurt, one gel, 0.75l of gatorade/water. We did it in 6:55 and I'm not a natural endurance-based guy, actually the opposite. I didn't experience any discomfort apart from my legs aching like hell in the last hour (at one stage near the end I did think I was hallucinating and that Tina was talking to herself. Turned out she was...)

We left at 5am and the temp maxed that day at 92. This weekend is predicted to be over 100. Two weeks earlier we went over 5000' and back; left at 7.30am, temp was 82 max and I felt much much worse at 5000' than I did after completing the full ascent. The difference for me, I believe, was the gatorade/water mix, the gels, and of course the starting temperatures.

From what I've seen the minimum daily temperature is between 3-4am. It starts heating up again after 4am. But, the effort expended makes it feel a damn site hotter than it actually is as you progress up the trail.